Sucker rod fishing tool



Sept. 11, 1951 T. M. HUNT 2,567,337

SUCKER ROD-FISHING TOOL.

Original Filed May 24, 1949 Ill Patented Sept. ll, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUCKERROD FISHING TOOL Theodore M. Hunt, Tulsa, Okla. briginal fapplication May 24, 1948, Serial No.

Divided and this 1949, Serial No. 96,981

This invention relates to asucker rod fishing tool, and more particularly to an improved fishing tool of this kind for securely grasping broken sections of sucker rod so that these sections may be removed fromthe'well tubing or casing.

It isian object of this invention toprovide an improved sucker rod fishing tool of the kind to be hereinafter more particularly described having a socket for engagement about the free end of a broken sucker rod and gripping'elements in the socket so constructed and arranged that increased weightor drag of the broken rod will increase the frictional engagement of the gripping elements with the rod.

It is a further object of this invention to so construct an improved fishing tool of this kind as to obtain the maximum strength while achieving inexpensive and simple manufacture and assembly resulting from the use of a minimum number of elements. I

Another object of this invention is to provide a sucker rod fishing tool having an improved mounting for the gripping elements so as to permit maximum penetration ofthe free end of the :roken sucker rod within the tool housing or Tothe foregoing objects, and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novelconstructiomcombination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated: in the accompanying drawings, but it is understood that changes, variations, and modifications may be resorted to which .fall within the scope of the invention as claimed- In the drawings, v Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through a sucker rod fishing tool constructed according to an embodimentof my invention, Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2-2 ofFigurel,

; Figure 3 is a side elevation' 'of the ring and jaw member supporting arms removed from the device; and, z s

Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly broken away .and partly in section; of one of the jaw members of sucker rod from a well drill pipe, tubing 01' casing. The sucker rod grapple II) .of this invention is designed for reaching ,deep into the well casings of the modern oil wells and the like and is particularly designed as an improvement over the grapples and fishing tools of this kind which 1 Claim. (Cl. 294-102) at both ends.

application June 3,

have heretofore been used and which have proved unfit for use in these deep wells. The tool In is formed of high grade metal or other suitable material to incorporate the greatest strength in the smallest body.

The grapple tool I I1 is formed with an elongated cylindrical body portion II which is open The ends of the body I I are threaded interiorly as shown by the numerals I2 and I 4 of the drawings. At the upper end of the body I I a cap I5 is provided for attaching the body to a suitable rod as I6 for lowering the tool I 0 down into the tubing. The cap I5 is substantially hemispherical in configuration having a depending lug or bolt I'I thereon. The lug I1 is of a diameter less than the diameter of the center of the cap I5 so that the upper end of the body II when threadably engaged onthe lug I! will form a continuation at its outer surface of the outer surface and edges of the cap. A socket member as I8 is mounted on the lower end of the body I I for clamping onto the free end of a broken section of sucker rod or the like.

The socket I8 is formed of an elongated cylindrical section of metal having a concentric opening as I9 extending through the length thereof. The opening I9 is formed with divergent upwardly extending inner walls as 20 which diverge toward the upper end of the socket member I8 from a point substantially at the center of the lengthof the socket. The inner walls 20 of the opening are smooth throughout their length and are arcuately flared at their extreme upper end as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings and indicated by the numeral 2| in Figure 1.

A pair ofsegmental frusto-conical clamping jaw members 22 are supported within the socket I8 and engage in the passage I9 between the divergent walls 20 at the upper end of the socket, Each of the jaw members 22 are formed as a se ment of a frusto-conica-l body which together complete this body and they are normally spaced apart by engagement with the sucker rod R clamped between them. The outer edges of the l segmental bodies 22 converge downwardly at the same inclination as the walls 20 of the opening in the socket. The walls 25 of the jaw members smoothly engage'along the length of the walls 20 v in the socket to provide for the free sliding movement of the jaws therein. Each of the jaw members 22 is formed at its upper end with a member 22 and is provided for the disposition therein of extending portions of the sucker rod B. when the jaw members are engaged with the rod.

The jaw members 22 are formed with a flat surface as 21 which confronts the flat surface of the opposed jaw member contained within the socket [8. Both of the jaw members 22 are formed with a semi-cylindrical recess 28 extending downwardly from the recess 26' therein, the recess 28 being of a smaller diameter than the recess 26.

Jaw clamping teeth as 29 are formed on the inner surface of the recess 28 and are provided for clamping engagement with the sucker rod RT The teeth 29 are directed upwardly relative to the socket and the jaw members 22 so that the jaw members will be biased towards engagement with the sucker rod upon an exertionof force upwardly on the socket member when the sucker rod is clamped between the jaw members.

An annular ring as 30 is contained within the housing ll between the cap l5 and the socket I8. The ring 30 is free to slide within thehousing I l and slidably engages the inner walls thereof-z Depending arms as 31 are fixed to or otherwise formed on the ring 30 extending downwardly therefrom. The lower end of the arms 3lengages within an opening 32 formed in the jaw members 22. The opening. 32 is open at the upper end of the jaw member 22 and extends downwardly into the body portion of the jaw member a short distance so that the lower endof one of the arms 3] may be contained therein. The lower end of the arms 3lmay be suitably fixed in the opening 32 byfrictional engagement therein; by welding or other suitable fastening devices. The arms 3| are substantially resilient and spring press the jaw members 22- to' a normally divergent relation one to the other for the purposes to be described hereinafter.

A coil spring 34 is positioned between the lower end of the lug H'and the ring 30 within the housing II. The spring 34' constantly urges the ring 30 downwardly in the housing and the jaw members 22 downwardly in thesocket member [8; The upper end of the socket I8 is reduced in diameter and threaded on the outer surface thereof for engagement with the lower threaded end I of the body H. The threaded engage ment of the reduced diameter end 35 of the socket [8 provides for the sole attaching means of the socketto thebody.

' The lower end of the socket l8 has an outersurface substantially flush: with the outer surface or the body H to provide for the free sliding movement of the tool Hi' within the well: casing. The body portion of the socket I 8 below' the engagement of the reduced diameter upper end of the socket is formed with flats 36-'whi'ch provide a nut surface about: the socket for; en-. gagement with a suitable tool for securing the socket to the body H The-slower end of. the opening l9 within the socket is flared downward.- ly and outwardly as indicated by the numeral. 31. toprovide. downwardly divergent interior walls terminating at the extreme lower end of the: socket member l8". The downwardly divergent walls 3:1 provide a guide meansfor the sucker rod. R as the;too1 I0 is lowered within: the casing and. comes into engagement with theupper broken end of -One of the broken sections of. the sucker rod.

In the use and operation of the sucker rodtool ID; the tool is lowered in a well casing for grappling for a broken section of the sucker rod. As thetool" is lowered, the spring 34 presses the ring 30 downwardly thereby pressing the jaw members 2'2 downwardly in the socket toward themstricted end of'the passage 20 where the flat surfaces 21 of the opposed jaw members will be in 4 abutting engagement. The semi-circular teeth 28 carried by the jaw members 22 are concentric to the opening rem the socket and the teeth are parallel alongthe vertical axis or the socket.

As the tool I0 comes into engagement with the sucker rod section, the broken end of the rod will engage the upwardly converging guide walls 31 where the rod will be directed upwardly into the opening IS. The end of the rod will then engage the lower end of the jaw members 22 and slide the jaw members upwardly in the guide passage 20; Upward movement of the jaw members 22 will provide for the separation of the jaw members one from the other due to the lateral force exerted between them by the resilient arms 2|. When the jaw members 22 are spaced apartone from the'other a: sumcient distance for the rod R tcr slide upwardly'between them, the rod may be extended upwardly into the body ll so that the broken end of the zrod will be extended above the socket member 18', Thereafter, the tool l'lmay be raised and the: weight of the rod R, together with the downward force exerted by the spring 3, will eflect the secure clamping or the upper end or the rodibetween the jaw members 22. The spring Mandi the downward force exerted on the jaw members: by the weight of the rod R will bias the jaw members downwardly in the downwardly converging section 20 of the passage through the socket, thereby forcing the teeth 29 into secure engagement with the rod; Therod maythen be withdrawn from' the well casing throughout its entire length-i What 1" claim is:

An improved sucker rod fishing tool comprising a tubular sleeve of uniform internal and 'external diameter open at each end and having internalthreads adjacent each end, a solid hemispherical cap member closing the upper end of said sleeve, a socket memberhaving an externally threaded reduced diameter upper end engaging within the lower end of'said sleeve, the lower end of said-socket member being 01' the same external diameter of said sleeve, a bore extending through said socket member, said bore having an outward-1y flared lower portion and an upwardly divergent upper portion, a pair of segmental i'rustro conical rod gripping members slidable in said upper portion'or said bore, rod gripping teeth formed on the inner surface of said. gripping members, an annular ring freely slidabl'e in said body above s'aid socket member and slidabl engaging the side walls of said body, depending inwardly converging resilient arms integrally formed with said" ring. and engaging: said gripping members, for forcing the latter apart, and coiled spring means positioned between said cap and said ring and bearing directly against said ring for urging said ring and, hence, said gripping. members downwardly in said sleeve.

THEODORE M; HUNT;

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,081,427 Brummett et a1. Dec'.16','1913' 11498.03?" Horton June 17, 1924 1546179 Nicholson et a1. July14, 1925 2,095,419 Shannon Sept. 28, 1937 

